Special Features

GameSpy's Game of the Year 2011 Awards

It's been an amazing year for roleplaying games, but even in the face of intense competition from great games like Deus Ex: Human Revolution and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim stood out enough to unanimously win our vote for RPG of 2011.

Playing out the tale of the Dragonborn and his/her battle against evil dragons terrorizing the land has some good twists and turns, and is propped up by an epic musical score and some of the best man-versus-dragon fights anywhere in gaming. But, like all of Bethesda's open-world RPGs, Skyrim's story quest isn't the main attraction here: it's your story. The story that happens when, upon getting a mission, instead of following the compass indicator you turn around and walk the opposite direction and set out to explore the enormous world. Maybe you head toward that big mountain in the distance, or to try your luck against those giants you passed earlier. Maybe you just want to swim down a river and catch some salmon. You'll inevitably stumble across creatures, dungeons, loot, and sidequests galore, learn skills and spells and dragon shouts, and have exciting and memorable personal experiences that set your adventure apart from those of your friends. Skyrim may be a single-player game, but a big part of the joy of playing is telling fellow gamers about that time a dragon attacked just as you and Lydia stormed a bandit fort.

Yes, the interface is somewhat... less than perfect. Yes, it's had its fair share of bugs -- including that whole 1.2 patch debacle. But Skyrim has given us countless hours of adventuring, and promises many many more.

There weren't too many quality adventure games out this year, but Gemini Rue distinguishes itself even when put up against the heavyweights of the genre. That's an easy comparison to make, since this adventure is done in the retro style of the LucasArts golden age classics, with low-resolution artwork that still manages to convey more atmosphere and character than most 3D worlds, and traditional point-and-click gameplay.

On top of that framework it builds its own deep storyline: a blend of heavy science-fiction elements such as evil corporations, mind wipes, space travel, fate of the galaxy, etc. set in a noir-cyberpunk universe -- something like the baby born of a one-night stand between Blade Runner and 1984. It's a story that stands on its own as an engaging piece of sci-fi.

It's sadly rare to see games of such high quality in this genre anymore, so when they get so much right, shout it from the rooftops to encourage gamers of all stripes to either come back to adventure or dip a toe in for the first time. Gemini Rue is that kind of game, and genre fans new and old shouldn't miss the best serious adventure game in years.